The city of Adelaide is found on the traditional lands of the Kaurna People. 

Adelaide has a current population of approximately 1.35 million people, nestled between the Flinders ranges and St. Vincent Gulf. The capital of the state of South Australia, it has had a notable history since its founding in 1836 as the only totally free-settled major city in Australia. Through history it has been noted for instituting several reforms that have gone on to the rest of Australia including religious freedom and voting rights for women (1896).

Today, apart from the city’s own attractions, Adelaide is the gateway to some of the best wine-growing regions in Australia, with the state being responsible for 45% of national wine production. 

There is also the natural prodigy of Kangaroo Island, noted for its spectacular rock formations and unique flora and fauna. On this Island we can walk on the beach with Sea Lions, Fur Seals resting on the rocks, see Koalas and Kangaroos in their natural habitat, and see a great variety of both land and sea birds. The Kangaroos of this island are a species unique to the island. 

North of Adelaide we find the beauty of Wilpena Pound, a spectacular basin in the Flinders Ranges, with accommodation and bushwalks. A little further we find Woomera,  a town which saw the beginning of the Australian space program.  It is a little-known fact that Australia was the third country in history to launch its own satellite from its own soil.  This happened in 1967 and Woomera continues to be a focal point for the renewed Australian space program.  Continuing north we find the town of Coober Pedy, famous  for it’s white opals and the fact that most of its citizens live underground due to the very high temperatures during the summer.  For the nature lover a little further is the spectacular Lake Eyre, Australia’s largest salt lake and at its heart a depression, 15 m below sea level. The lake floods periodically every 3 to 4 years and attracts wildlife from thousands of kilometres away.  It even has a dedicated Yacht Club who’s ambitious sailors sail on the flood waters  whenever they occur. 

Then there is the unique location of Port Lincoln, situated on The Eyre Peninsula,  and home to a buoyant fishing industry. For us it is of interest because there are cruises that take you out into the Southern Ocean for a chance to encounter a great white shark, from behind the safety of an aluminium cage of course.

Finally for the truly adventurous there is the road across the Nullarbor Plain leading to Western Australia.  On this journey you pass the coastline of the Great Australian Bight, a great coastal Wilderness perfect for the nature lover.

Adelaide Summary – Places to visit on a day trip from Adelaide:

• Barossa Valley
• Kangaroo Island (very long day)
• McLaren Vale
• Mt Lofty Ranges
• Cleland Wildlife Park
• Hahndorf
• Adelaide Hills Wine Region

Day 1 – Arrival

Option – Limousine Meet & transfer

Option – Shuttle bus transfer

Arrive Hotel – check in

Day 2 – Classic Adelaide

Option 1 – City sightseeing tour viewing Victoria Square, GPO, Central Markets, Adelaide Town Hall, North Terrace, Parliament House, Museum of Adelaide, Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Zoo, North Adelaide, Light’s Vision and Adelaide Oval. This is a half day Tour.

Option 2 – City tour as above followed by a drive up to Mt Lofty Lookout. Then onto Bridgewater Mill and Beerenberg fruit farm. Finish with a visit to the historic town of Hahndorf, including free time to explore the village.  This is a full day tour.

Day 3 – Your choice day

The great tours to do of Adelaide surrounds:

Option 1 – Aboriginal Cultural visits – There are two great Aboriginal culture visits to do in Adelaide, the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, and the South Australian Art GAllery and Museum. The first is a culture and art gallery exhibiting both contemporary and traditional works from South Australia and beyond, and the Museum has arguably the best collection in Australia of artifacts, tools and historical artworks. Both are a delight to visit.

Option 2 – Kangaroo Island – Although this tour can take over 16 hours to complete (if you do it all by road), Kangaroo Island is an unmissable wonder of nature. You can significantly shorten the day by flying to and from the island but this of course also increases the cost significantly. In our opinion, it is best to take our two day tour of the Island, which makes for a more comfortable timetable.

(NB: please note that some elements of a day on Kangaroo Island may be unavailable at different times of the year, when they could be replaced by visits of equal interest and value. If there is a specific item that you must see make sure it is available for visit before setting off or buying a tour from our recommended operator)

KI – 1 Day Classic Tour – In order to get to Kangaroo Island from Adelaide by road, you have to drive to Cape Jervis, where you take the 45 minute ferry crossing to Penneshaw. The Ferry can take your rental vehicle, or, if you are on a coach tour, your tour vehicle. Once on the Island, we start by visiting the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery. On a guided tour, lunch would be included, or you can visit one of the many cafes on the island. It is best to plan where you’re going to have lunch, as it can get very busy. You would then typically visit Seal Bay, where a guide would take you down to the beach to walk among a colony of Sea Lions. You can visit Raptor Domain for a fascinating Birds of Prey show and then to a wildlife park to meet the locals! (Kangaroos and Koalas). Of course any tour to Kangaroo Island would not be complete without a visit to Flinders Chase National Park, with the Admniral’s Arch and Remarkable Rocks as the highlights.

KI – 2 Day Classic Tour

The two day tour has all the content of the one day tour, but you can also add Clifford’s Honey Farm, a Winery visit, The Lavender Farm and more of the natural features. The attraction of this option is being able to see the sights in a more relaxed manner, and staying a night on the island is a great experience. There are some great hotels at Kingscote, American River and Penneshaw.

Option 3 – The Barossa Valley – This tour ventures into the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people.

Wine growing regions all around the world are nearly always beautiful. Land is expensive and farmers and viticulturalists take great care to manicure their plantations, fence them beautifully, making them actually appealing to the passer by. And of course wherever you find wine, you also find cheese, olives and other gourmet delicacies. For this, the Barossa excels!

The tour we recommend takes in some of the leading wineries, both major and boutique. Cellar door visits, tastings and, if you choose our organised tour, lunch in winery style.

Option 4 – Port Lincoln – Port Lincoln is on the traditional lands of the Narranga People.

Across the Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf from Adelaide is the city of Port Lincoln, known locally as the seafood capital of Australia. Famous for its fishing industry, it is also an important port for Lamb, beef and grains. What attracts us there, though, is the opportunity for diving and fishing. This is a place from where you can go swimming with Sea Lions, all the way to Shark Cage diving with the apex predator of the seas, the Great White Shark. Ask us about your Port Lincoln adventure.

Option 5 – Discover Adelaide – Adelaide is a wonderful city to discover – it’s markets, food, the Festivals, the sporting events, and of course museums and galleries. There are easily enough interesting things for everyone’s taste to fill up a whole day. You can extend your stay here depending on how many of these things you wish to do.

There are two more areas of South Australia that you wish to consider, and both fit in very well for the person who wants to make their way overland between Melbourne and Adelaide. You can, by the way, do this in your rented vehicle, or on an organised tour.

The first, is the Coorong, on the lands of the Ngarrindjeri people. This lagoon is connected to lake Alexandrina, on the estuary of Australia’s greatest river system. Here the River Murray brings the confluence of the DArling, Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers into the Southern Ocean. The Coorong is a beautiful natural landscape of gigantic proportions, with a surface area of over 490km2. It is regularly visited by various forms of wildlife, chief attraction being the migratory birds such as the red-necked avocet, the common greenshank and the curlew sandpiper, to name a few. There are campgrounds, beaches, bushwalks and great fishing spots – the Coorong is absolutely wonderful.

The other is the wine region of Coonawarra and the nearby town of Mt Gambier. From the Coorong, we could drive inland to Naracoorte, visit the caves there and continue south to Coonawarra, one of Australia’s most famous wine denominational regions. Then to Mt. Gambier and its famous Blue Lake.